A few months ago, as I sat nestled with my laptop crafting a new blog post, my husband queried if I thought I might ever run out of words. Yes, he was joking, but this is the sort of thing authors worry about from time to time as they ponder if the day will come when they will have run out of worthwhile ideas and the right words to convey them.

I sense that I have the reserves to write with a purpose for many years to come. In large part, this is thanks to the inspiration I continually glean from you, my readers. Every time I hear that something I wrote guided someone through a difficult medical decision, provided moral support during the euthanasia process, or helped a person hold their ground with their veterinarian, I am inspired to write that next sentence. Thank you for this!

Speaking of writing new material, with no further adieu, I would like to introduce you to my new “baby” titled, Your Dog’s Best Health: A Dozen Reasonable Things to Expect From Your Vet. It is sizzling hot off the press and is available via Amazon, other online retailers, and soon, your neighborhood bookstores. I invite you to give it a read, and if you happen to be looking for a unique holiday gift for your dog loving friends and relatives, search no further!

With Speaking for Spot my goal was to teach you why we need to be medical advocates for our pets and how to fulfill this important role. Now, with Your Dog’s Best Health my intent is to take you to the next level by spelling out what is reasonable to expect from your vet. Included are some expectations that may just surprise you. For example, did you know that it’s reasonable to expect email communication with your vet, discussion about your Internet research, and explanations of all options for your pet, regardless of cost? In the spirit of saving the best for last, I reserved the final chapter of Your Dog’s Best Health for clarifying what is reasonable for your veterinarian to expect from you! Needless to say, visits to the vet will never be the same!

Happy holidays to you and your loved ones,

Nancy Kay, DVM

Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine
Author of Speaking for Spot: Be the Advocate Your Dog Needs to Live a Happy, Healthy, Longer Life
Author of Your Dog’s Best Health: A Dozen Reasonable Things to Expect From Your Vet
Recipient, Leo K. Bustad Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year Award
Recipient, American Animal Hospital Association Animal Welfare and Humane Ethics Award
Recipient, Dog Writers Association of America Award for Best Blog
Recipient, Eukanuba Canine Health Award
Recipient, AKC Club Publication Excellence Award
Become a Fan of Speaking for Spot on Facebook

Please visit http://www.speakingforspot.com to read excerpts from Speaking for Spot. There you will also find “Advocacy Aids”- helpful health forms you can download and use for your own dog, and a collection of published articles on advocating for your pet’s health. Speaking for Spot is available at Amazon.com, local bookstores, and your favorite online book seller.

Thanks Dr. Kay – I found so many things that resonate with my concerns in Your Dog’s Best Health. It makes it so much easier to make these concerns and requests known at the vet office knowing that they are not unreasonable.

So, Dr. Nancy, you did it again! I’m REALLY looking forward to reading your new book. I just love it that you include what our vets should expect from us! That’s pretty crucial, if you ask me!

Just for example, I frequent a lot of dog-lists – have also had cats in the past, but not for some years now. Anyway, with my interest in diabetic dogs, as my Australian Terrier Kumbi, who died in 2010 – of cancer, not diabetes, and with what seems a dearth of knowledge in SOME vets concerning canine diabetes, the forum I most frequent on the topic has many, many members who have changed vets – some of them, multiple times. A typical difficulty is a vet failing to base recommendations for insulin doses on serial blood glucose curves; some just take one reading, and base the decision on that. Frequent result: wrong dose – often, too much, and the dog suffers hypoglycemic episodes. Not fun. Actively dangerous, in fact.

But I’ve read some posts where people have said they aren’t telling their vets everything. THAT is a totally rotten idea. How on earth can a vet handle a patient well when the human client hides information? GOSH!

Thanks so much for writing this second book; it would be great if all vets and all dog-cat (and other) human animal-keepers would read it.
Tue, 6 Dec 2011 19:29:38
Carol Whitney with Camellia Camelo, Havanese IFO